Here are some local policy updates and links to important surveys:
- Planning Commission Meeting to Discuss Redwood Valley Cannabis Prohibition District – May 18 @ 9AM
- Agendas for 5/22 GGC & BoS meetings + 5/23 BoS Meeting coming on Thursday
- MCA Local Policy Update with Patrick Sellers to discuss the 5/22 + 5/23 meetings – May 24 from 11am – 12:30pm
- North Coast Economic Impact Study
- UC Berkeley Wildfire Impact Survey Follow Up re: Production Volume by Canopy Size
- MCD Update on Emailing Files + Upcoming Accela Implementation
1. Planning Commission Meeting to Discuss Redwood Valley Cannabis Prohibition District – May 18 @ 9AM
On May 18 the Planning Commission will hear an item to create a Cannabis Prohibition District in part of Redwood Valley.
0.1± miles north of the Redwood Valley town center, bound generally on the west by East Road (CR 230), on the north by Madrone Drive (private) and Road I (CR 234), on the east by Colony Drive (CR 232-A), and on the south by Road D (CR 232).
CLICK HERE for the agenda and CLICK HERE to review the submitted comments for the item. CLICK HERE for MCA’s memo in opposition.
There are only two licensed operators in the proposed district. If it passes they will have to shut down their operations within 3 years. We invite you to share comments in opposition to the Prohibition District. You can email your comments to
pbscommissions@mendocinocounty.org
You can also attend the meeting in person or via zoom to make comments. Meeting information is on the Agenda.
2. Agendas for 5/22 GGC & BoS meetings + 5/23 BoS Meeting coming on Thursday
The agendas for next weeks County meetings regarding cannabis will be posted on Thursday afternoon. These will be important meetings with potentially significant impacts including continuing the ordinance revision process to shift from a County Permit to a Cannabis Business License, the contracting of an EIR as part of the process to have the State take over the CEQA part of state licensure and what is hopefully a substantial update from MCD. We will be evaluating the materials as soon as they are available and sharing memos that we will be asking you to support.
3. MCA Local Policy Update with Patrick Sellers to discuss the 5/22 + 5/23 meetings – May 24 from 11am – 12:30pm
We know that there is a lot of uncertainty at the moment as it relates to permitting, state renewals, grant funding and a lot of other topics. A lot of information will come to light during the GGC meeting on May 22 and the Board of Supervisors meetings on May 22 and May 23.
Along these lines, we will host a Policy Update meeting that will be open to the public on Wednesday May 24 to share everything we can based on the information gathered between now and then. We will be joined by Patrick Sellers of Headquarters Consulting and possibly some other special guests!
MCA Members must register through the wild apricot email or membership portal to receive the zoom information in advance of the meeting.
Additional email reminders will be sent before the event.
Non-Members can CLICK HERE to register on Zoom.
4. North Coast Economic Impact Study
MCA is working with HCGA and Origins Council to provide important economic impact data from our region that will inform local and state policy. We are counting on our community to share their stories through the survey linked below. It will be a significant benefit to all of us to have the data of our experiences considered through this academic lens and presented to lawmakers and regulators.
CLICK HERE for last week’s episode of The Cannabis Hour with Jenn Procacci on KZYX to learn more about the survey from Genine Coleman from Origins Council, Natalynne DeLapp from HCGA and Dr. Robert Eyler from Sonoma State University.
We are hoping that you can take the time (about 30 minutes) and provide the information being requested (your contact information will be kept completely confidential) to help answer these important questions for those regulating us but not living our experience:
1. How can those that chose to enter the regulated market inform us about the successes or failures of legalization in California?
2. How has Cannabis Legalization impacted the communities of Northern California in its current form?
3. Has legalization in California under Proposition 64 created access to the market for legacy growers?
4. Has it successfully legitimized the market that existed before adult-use legalization?
5. Has it included the communities most impacted by the decades-long war on drugs?
HCGA and OC are collaborating with Sonoma State University and Cal Poly Humboldt on the first-ever Cannabis Economic Impact Study. This study will examine the economic impact of cannabis farming, manufacturing, distribution, and retail sales on the county economies in Humboldt, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Trinity, and Del Norte counties).
We need your input. This study will only paint the complete picture of the economic impacts of legalization with your participation and the participation of our CA operators in these counties. Filling out the survey will only take approximately 30 minutes. You’ll want access to your end-of-year financial statements from 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Please answer all questions to the best of your ability, as this will give the most accurate insight into conditions on the ground.
All financial data is 100% confidential. The study does not require your name, APN, or license information.
We are seeking help from cannabis businesses.
CLICK HERE to take the survey!
5. UC Berkeley Wildfire Impact Survey Follow Up re: Production Volume by Canopy Size
From the University of Berkeley:
We would like to thank everyone who participated in our survey of the impacts of wildfire and smoke exposure on outdoor cannabis crops. The results have affirmed that the impacts have the potential to be substantial and merit immediate and widespread attention.
In order to add even more weight to the discussion, we would like to generate estimates of economic loss for the production impacts we will be reporting. To do this properly, we are seeking information to allow us to convert canopy area of production to dry flower weight.
We have created a short survey (approximately two minutes), which is available at this link: https://berkeley.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bynjmtoxNcttJqu
Any information you provide in the survey will be anonymous; IP addresses and emails are not recorded. For more information on anonymity, visit: https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/distributions-module/web-distribution/anonymous-link/
6. MCD Update on Emailing Files + Upcoming Accela Implementation
The two messages were shared by MCD over the last two days:
1. Emailing Documents to Mendocino Cannabis Department
The Mendocino Cannabis Department (“MCD”) has been working with our Information Technology Division to address concerns from the public related to difficulties in submitting documents via the file submittal application SharePoint. Moving forward, MCD will be accepting file submittals via SharePoint and/or direct email to address deficiency notices. If you choose to submit via direct email, please be sure to submit your files directly to your assigned planner and always CC MCDPOD@mendocinocounty.org.
Disclosure notice: Please keep in mind that communications via email over the internet are not secure. Although it is unlikely, there is a possibility that information you include in an email can be intercepted and read by other parties besides the person to whom it is addressed. Please keep this in mind when considering sending personal identifying material in any unencrypted emails you send.
2. MCD Switching to Accela – NO SHAREPOINT
In order to improve visibility and transparency, and create a more efficient regulatory process, MCD is excited to announce the roll-out of Accela Cannabis Regulation. Starting Thursday, June 1, 2023, Applicants and Permittees will be able to sign on to the Citizen Access Portal through Accela and create their account. Please look for a future Canna Note for the provided link to the Citizen Access Portal.
The Accela Citizen Access Portal houses all existing permits with the county and is where one will apply for any new permits. The portal is also where applicants and permittees will upload all required documents. As such, MCD will no longer be utilizing SharePoint for document and file uploads. Please note that between Friday, May 26 through Wednesday, May 31, our IT department will be writing over all data from SharePoint to Accela. It is absolutely pertinent that you DO NOT use or try to access SharePoint during this time. Starting Thursday, June 1, MCD will be live with Accela.
MCD has established a new webpage for Accela that will publish and become available Wednesday May 24, 2023: http://www.mendocinocounty.
Best regards,
Mendocino Cannabis Department
